Idiots guide to MY 14 A6?

[hopgop]

I'm in the position to now go ahead and order a new c7 MY14 Having researched nearly new and other makes, even having been tempted by A5 Sportback.

Right, so its decided. S line, Daytona grey, 177 TDI Multitronic saloon. Easy so far.

Just get the right technology add-on's and Audi will build me my perfect car.
Unfortunately, this is where it all becomes ridiculously confusing for me and I can't believe I'm alone in this.

I am attempting to as far as possible " Future proof" the car as I intend to run it for around ten years. I have now carried out more than a month of reasonably diligent research on the options - but I am now more confused than ever it seems. I've been told so many different "truth's" about Bluetooth / AMI by not only several different garages but from the Audi helpline also. No wonder so many pages are written here by obviously, hugely knowledgeable owners in this wonderful forum about it's complexities!! Trouble is, some of you may be TOO knowledgeable for me!

I desperately need a basic explanation as to what will and won't work, and which option's will work. Heated seats, Lighting package, AMI and colour Drivers info screen.

I will add Adaptive cruise control as I'm sure this will make my frequent motorway trips easier. So, probably the advanced technology package is the way I'll go. What I really can't seem to get a consistent answer about is phone/ AMI. What I want is to get into my car and plug physically my phone into the cradle so it charges and uses the external aerial. I have always used IPhones and see no reason why I'll change. I intend to use the new 5-s shortly. I assume Audi now make a cradle for these? Will this configuration work? Particularly the sat nav/ google maps real time traffic etc? I've heard talk of other sim's. Unlimited data, phones not working using extra sim, allsorts of explanations. Surely, my IPhone with it's unlimited data covers all this? Also, I've been told, which I find hard to believe, to use the AMI I would need to remove the phone from it's cradle to then plug in the AMI lead, that can't be correct can it? If I don't go for the advanced tech pack as it has some features I 'm not sure I want - would bluetooth low preparation be sufficient for me or would I be missing out on something I'd regret later?

Thanks in advance guys.
Any and all advice from you most welcome.

[Guest 2]

Welcome to VWAF

Good place to start is the brochure - http://www.audi.co.uk/content/dam/audi/production/PDF/PriceAndSpecGuides/a6-s6-saloon-avant.pdf

I had a good explanation of most options here - C7 Options - Must haves? (http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?130297-C7-Options-Must-haves&highlight=which+options) which I will be maybe using next year ;)

[C172s]

I picked up my new A6 C7 Black Edition Multitronic last night.

I had a 2010 A4 S Line B8. It was a lovely car and had a couple of toys as standard such as cruise control, colour DIS, Bluetooth...
I wanted a future proof car, and it almost was, but the A6 is that much better.

The A6 comes with a lot of toys as standard and I think the Multitronic is a nice box to work with. I've only owned one for 24 hours and love it. Totally effortless drive, light easy steering, very capable chassis.

the Black edition (based on the s line) has nice extras, the Bose sounds fantastic compared with the very very good standard Audi system. The standard Sat Nav works nicely, the optional heated seats were very welcome this morning and as its such a big car, the optional folding mirror is a must.

Monochrome DIS has all the info you need, but a colour DIS is definitely worth it. Its a high tech car and the Colour DiS would finish it all off nicely. The Technology Advanced pack with AMI is good to have. If you can stretch to the Bose , then do it. Excellent sound.

The A6 as standard I think is 98% future proof, the s line even more so at 99%....and whatever options you get will truly impress you.

[Whippy53]

Heated seats obviously, colour dis, folding mirrors, light pack is a must, I would have loved a sunroof, reversing cam (pref with birds eye) standard satnav is very good but the upgrade is even better. If you can, go for the 4 zone air con.

[retired99]

My take on the phone / Audi Connect stuff.

As I understand it there are two things to consider
The level of BT you select and AMI.

The standard level ( no options added) lets you connect your phone by BT. This does not give you access to the aerial. No Audi Connect features ( online traffic, Google maps etc) .You do get TMC traffic via the radio.

BT Prep low gives you the ability to spend some more money ( above the price of BT Low) and buy a cradle which will give access to the car’s aerial and will charge your phone. Does not give you Audi connect etc.

BT Prep High gives you Audi connect through two routes (1) via an RSAP phone. An iphone is not an rsap phone. (2) insert a SIM into the dash which will be used to enable Audi Connect and then connect your iphone via BT, this does not use the car aerial for your phone. It is being used by the SIM in the dash. You can use the SIM in the dash to make and receive calls but not at the same time as the BT connected phone. The SIM in the dash is effectively a separate phone from a making and receiving calls perspective.

Audi Music Interface will enable you to charge your iphone and play music controlling that music ( selection etc.) via the car’s systems. You need to select this as an option.

If you buy a tech pack you will get BT Prep High and AMI.

[belly buster]

I'm in the position to now go ahead and order a new c7 MY14 Having researched nearly new and other makes, even having been tempted by A5 Sportback.

Right, so its decided. S line, Daytona grey, 177 TDI Multitronic saloon. Easy so far.

Just get the right technology add-on's and Audi will build me my perfect car.
Unfortunately, this is where it all becomes ridiculously confusing for me and I can't believe I'm alone in this.

I am attempting to as far as possible " Future proof" the car as I intend to run it for around ten years. I have now carried out more than a month of reasonably diligent research on the options - but I am now more confused than ever it seems. I've been told so many different "truth's" about Bluetooth / AMI by not only several different garages but from the Audi helpline also. No wonder so many pages are written here by obviously, hugely knowledgeable owners in this wonderful forum about it's complexities!! Trouble is, some of you may be TOO knowledgeable for me!

I desperately need a basic explanation as to what will and won't work, and which option's will work. Heated seats, Lighting package, AMI and colour Drivers info screen.

I will add Adaptive cruise control as I'm sure this will make my frequent motorway trips easier. So, probably the advanced technology package is the way I'll go. What I really can't seem to get a consistent answer about is phone/ AMI. What I want is to get into my car and plug physically my phone into the cradle so it charges and uses the external aerial. I have always used IPhones and see no reason why I'll change. I intend to use the new 5-s shortly. I assume Audi now make a cradle for these? Will this configuration work? Particularly the sat nav/ google maps real time traffic etc? I've heard talk of other sim's. Unlimited data, phones not working using extra sim, allsorts of explanations. Surely, my IPhone with it's unlimited data covers all this? Also, I've been told, which I find hard to believe, to use the AMI I would need to remove the phone from it's cradle to then plug in the AMI lead, that can't be correct can it? If I don't go for the advanced tech pack as it has some features I 'm not sure I want - would bluetooth low preparation be sufficient for me or would I be missing out on something I'd regret later?

Thanks in advance guys.
Any and all advice from you most welcome.

The confusion probably comes with the change from MY13 to MY14. For MY14 (any car built from roughly May onwards) the good news is that you can keep your iPhone and access the data services (google earth etc.) but only if you add an additional (data) SIM to the dash. Because the iPhone does not support rSAP, this is the only way it will work.

If you have MY13, you are a bit stuffed, because you will either have to ditch the iPhone, or nudge the SIM out of the dash if you want use the bluetooth.

If you have AMI you will be able to charge the phone using the AMI cable. My guess is this may use the external aeriel, but I'm not sure. It is not obvious there is support for a cradle with Bluetooth high.

[johnsimcox]

OK, based on a MY14 car this is my understanding of where you with the connectivity options and assuming you are using an iPhone 5S.

The iPhone is not rSAP compatible and therefore the only way to get access to the data services is put a SIM into the dash slot. The change for MY4 is that this no longer disables the BT connection to the phone and therefore the "best" option is to get a cheap data only package and leave that SIM in the car rather than having to keep taking the SIM out of your phone, fitting into a SIM adaptor and then slotting it into the dash.

The connector on the iPhone does not provide an aerial connection and therefore if Audi did do a cradle for the 5/5S (which they currently do not seem to do) this would do nothing more than charge the phone and provide no additional services over a simple bluetooth connection. I suspect they may not bother doing such a cradle as there is both a 12v source and the AMI plug in the armrest where the cradle would go. The number of Smartphones that are compatible with the Audi Telephone High Preparation is very small since so few of them provide aerial support via the connector so I am not sure why Audi continue to offer this option, especially as takes a long time for them to introduce new cradles and the change cycle of phones is so rapid it is almost the case that the phone is no longer offered by the time the cradle is launched.

AMI and Telephone are quite separate systems in the car and your dealer is quite right, to use AMI the phone would have to be taken out of the cradle and connected to the AMI cable. As already stated the AMI interface will charge your phone, but be aware that at the moment Audi do not do a Lightening AMI cable. You will need to use the Apple Lightening to 30pin adaptor to connect the phone to the cable, cheaper version lack the Analogue-Digital chip that built into the Apple adaptor. This will provide you with the full functionality and also give you album artwork, providing you use the AMI cable with the red collar. You will not be able to play video however. It van be assumed that Audi will add a proper Lightening AMI cable sometime soon which may then allow Video as well.

In the future we can expect much better integration for Apple devices in all cars (look at the new Mercedes A-Class as an example of where things are going) and Audi have already announced that they are working with Audi to provide greater integration between the car and the phone. Maybe this will be a feature on the C8 platform?

As to the other options, given that you plan to keep the car for a long time, resale value of options is an irrelevance and therefore go with the options that matter to you. Colour DIS and 4 zone Air Con (if only to get the nicer dash interface) are two options I would tick

[jbaker]

Depending on how many miles you drive, I would suggest the adaptive cruse control. I do a lot of motorway driving and I wish I had added that option.

A tech pack would add most of the things that have been discussed in this thread.

[hopgop]

Thanks guys. So, it looks like an additional sim in the dash is the only way to truly use the MMI with high prep which looks the way forward. only thing is, doesn't the dash sim take precedence over my phone even if it's plugged into the - as yet to be released cradle - as I really want the extra aerial boost from the car as well as the charging? Does the car's settings allow for making the data sim just that, without it being the default phone? Also, a possible AMI thought occurs, use a dedicated " in car" IPod permanently plugged into the AMI ignoring the music contained on my phone. Saving the stupidity of having to unplug the phone from cradle to AMI cable. Lighting pack is definitely on my list as it's a relatively cheap addition. Looked at Four zone air con -but although it definitely adds to the look of the dash I'm just not sure the six hundred pounds on top of what I'm already adding is essential. Like all options, either added or omitted - it's that balance. This is tough!!

[Whippy53]

I went for the standard and to be honest its ok, looks smart and works better than any other aircon I've had so functionality is fine. To me a reverse cam is essential (cheaper than a rear bumper!)

[johnsimcox]

Thanks guys. So, it looks like an additional sim in the dash is the only way to truly use the MMI with high prep which looks the way forward. only thing is, doesn't the dash sim take precedence over my phone even if it's plugged into the - as yet to be released cradle - as I really want the extra aerial boost from the car as well as the charging? Does the car's settings allow for making the data sim just that, without it being the default phone? Also, a possible AMI thought occurs, use a dedicated " in car" IPod permanently plugged into the AMI ignoring the music contained on my phone. Saving the stupidity of having to unplug the phone from cradle to AMI cable. Lighting pack is definitely on my list as it's a relatively cheap addition. Looked at Four zone air con -but although it definitely adds to the look of the dash I'm just not sure the six hundred pounds on top of what I'm already adding is essential. Like all options, either added or omitted - it's that balance. This is tough!!
On an MY14 car the slot in the dash will allow a phone to be simultaneously connected via BT so you can have both (this was not the case for UK/EU cars in previous MYs). If you do not give out the phone number for the dash SIM (and if it is a data only contract why would you) then no one will call it and all calls will come through on your normal phone. As I said in my previous post, even with a cradle (and I have serious doubts Audi will bother to make one) the iPhone will not take advantage of the cars aerial as the phone has no external aerial connection. It will simply charge the phone and (possibly but no guarantee) give you access to the address book etc but nothing else and you get all of that via the BT connection.

I have an iPhone 5 and it works perfectly as a phone via the BT connection. I do have a separate iPod permanently connected to the AMI, but that is simply because I have a spare iPod Touch so I can just leave it in the car and it will play videos etc should I feel the need (which is not currently an option with an iPhone 5/5S or the latest iPods which have the lightening connector)

[retired99]

Need to check, but I don't think you can have a cradle with BT Prep High. Anyone know for sure? You certainly get the cradle functionality if you specify BT Prep Low, but then you lose out on Googlemaps, online traffic etc.

The following applies to a non rsap phone.

If you put a SIM in the dash you can tell the car to use it as a phone as well as use it to access the audi connect features. Or, you can tell the car that you want to use another BT connected phone. Putting the SIM in the dash and using that as a phone uses the external aerial. Connecting a phone via BT does not use the external aerial.

As you have an iphone you will need a SIM adapter to install that SIM in the car. The car SIM slot is for a standard SIM.

If you put the iphone SIM in the car and use it to make / receive calls the call records for these calls will not be on your phone.

As far as I can tell you can only use te AMI i/f to play music and charge the phone.

I use a SIM in the car and connect my phone via BT HFP. My phone is rsap capable but I don't connect it via rsap as I lose call records ( well, not lost they're in the car) while it's connected in rsap mode.

[Olio]

I'd consider electric seats w/ memory if your other half or anybody else drives it frequently.

Otherwise I'd agree with what's been said so far, folding mirrors, heated seats, rear camera (at least), AMI / coulour DIS / HDD nav (via Tech pack as I did, which would affress all your mobile phone questions as it comes with prep high). Kind of regretting not getting motorised boot for saloon model, which I'd certainly use more than the park assist I've selected.

If you have some spare cash, maybe Xenon...

[retired99]

I went for the Tech Pack Low which delivers the nav,mmi,audi connect, bt etc. Happy with that and wasn't really interested in the adaptive cruise etc. Did buy Side Assist on it's own which although, I find it fairly useful, I wouldn't miss much if it stopped working.

Heated front seats; wouldn't be without them on a cold morning, based on previous cars as haven't had the A6 long.

75l tank, useful on long journeys.

Folding auto dimming mirrors, the dimming bit is excellent, folding useful occasionally ( mainly can check if the car is locked by looking at the mirrors which can be set to fold when the car is locked).

Xenon adaptive lights, the Xenon bit is, IMO, almost essential, so much better than halogen. The adaptive bit is good but could live without it.

4 zone a/c, I was lent an s line with 2 zone before i got my car and was constantly re-setting the temperature as the car seemed to struggle to maintain a constant temperature. This made me change my order to 4 zone which is much better. Recently did a long journey with an temperature range of about 13 to 30 degrees. Never touched the a/c controls after setting off and was completely unaware of the outside temp except for looking at the display.

Rear camera, wouldn't be without it.

I went for comfort seats which are excellent, but the sports seats on the S line are pretty good too.

I'm fussy about ride quality but also, on occasion, want to have a bit of fun. The S line I was lent (19" wheels) dealt with fun bit quite well but I felt the ride a bit too firm for day to day esp over our rubbish road surfaces. My car is an Allroad so comes with air suspension, but I would have specified it on a non Allroad. The three modes of 'comfort', 'automatic' and 'dynamic' plus the option to configure your own settings deliver a drive to suit most moods and requirements.

I really would recommend getting drives in cars with different wheel size and suspension set ups before making a decision.

[hopgop]

You're killing me! Or bankrupting me perhaps more accurately! S Line spec was already a decision made partly because of the xenon's but mainly the overall look. Heated seats - again essential in my opinion. So really the main item I feel I still might have to miss out on but might regret is the air con upgrade. Having already broken the bank to get adaptive cruise which will be used every single day. For half it's cost again the air con upgrade might be a bridge too far for me. Great advice though.

[belly buster]

You're killing me! Or bankrupting me perhaps more accurately! S Line spec was already a decision made partly because of the xenon's but mainly the overall look. Heated seats - again essential in my opinion. So really the main item I feel I still might have to miss out on but might regret is the air con upgrade. Having already broken the bank to get adaptive cruise which will be used every single day. For half it's cost again the air con upgrade might be a bridge too far for me. Great advice though.

OK well maybe I'll save you some money. Rather than get a separate ipod to plug into the AMI, put your songs on an SD card. 64GB (and possilble 128GB) cards are supported so put all your songs on there.

Colour DIS is a total must IMO. It's front and centre of your driving experience. I ditched the 4-zone climate and while the stock dials are not great, there are better ways to spend your money.

[Wuffles]

Sunroof is nice, but a very expensive option, not quite as "Panoramic" as they'd have you believe either (we bought off spec alone, no-one had one we could see so it's our own fault) and apparently expensive to run too.

[ScottyA6]

Heated seats obviously, colour dis, folding mirrors, light pack is a must, I would have loved a sunroof, reversing cam (pref with birds eye) standard satnav is very good but the upgrade is even better. If you can, go for the 4 zone air con.


Don't rub it in, my new baby doesn't have heated seats and its not particularly temperate for most of year up't North. The fact she is a 245 quattro instead of a 204 and has the tech pack will have to give me solace ! Back on topic, I think the Colour DIS is a must, it's a complete leap from the mono display and that is what you sit in front of every time you drive the thing. As to the rest its horses for courses, the music interface is a big plus for me but if you don't mind updating an SD card it isn't a must have. I wouldn't bother with a sunroof for a long term ownership car, they have a tendency to rattle (and often leak) as time goes by. I have a collegue with recent Merc and his sunroof has been a PITA from day one. Google maps in the Nav is fine but I think a bit of a gimmick, the in-car wifi hotspot might turn out to be a lifesaver with kids who get edgy whenever they can't 'connect' (bless their little hearts).

Pick and choose !

[retired99]

........................... the in-car wifi hotspot might turn out to be a lifesaver with kids who get edgy whenever they can't 'connect' (bless their little hearts).

Pick and choose !

I recognise that situation and you're right!

[pumpsmynads]

So to be clear with the hotspot feature, it is essentially a mifi without the sim/contract? So I could get a 12 month, 12GB sim from amazon and plug it into the car? Then any passenger can connect? How do you set the password? Via settings?

[Olio]

Yes, a simple 3 data sim would work.

And yes, WLAN SSID, encryption and password can be set within the MMI menu.

[retired99]

So to be clear with the hotspot feature, it is essentially a mifi without the sim/contract? So I could get a 12 month, 12GB sim from amazon and plug it into the car? Then any passenger can connect? How do you set the password? Via settings?

That's right. You can set the SSID, Encrypion type and password from settings. Works with no problems at all, at least it has for me.

[pumpsmynads]

Thanks guys. The reason I mentioned the amazon option (it's a 3 sim) is that it lasts for a year and is only £54 for 12GB. This saves being on a contract or having to top up each month. When my mifi contract ends it's what I'll be putting in there... Or maybe I'll just work in the car more :-)

[belly buster]

Thanks guys. The reason I mentioned the amazon option (it's a 3 sim) is that it lasts for a year and is only £54 for 12GB. This saves being on a contract or having to top up each month. When my mifi contract ends it's what I'll be putting in there... Or maybe I'll just work in the car more :-)

That is exactly what I have and would recommend it. 3 seems best for data as they have the widest 3g coverage.

[hopgop]

Like the idea of permanent 3 network sim paid up front. Only thing is, from a data point of view. My understanding is, 1G a month allowance for 12 months. Does the in car Bluetooth high live traffic/ google maps etc use much data? My kids will be probably the only time I'll be using the car as a wifi hotspot. Who knows what their usage might be!!

[pumpsmynads]

Like the idea of permanent 3 network sim paid up front. Only thing is, from a data point of view. My understanding is, 1G a month allowance for 12 months. Does the in car Bluetooth high live traffic/ google maps etc use much data? My kids will be probably the only time I'll be using the car as a wifi hotspot. Who knows what their usage might be!!

I don't know how much data the car itself might use but the 12GB sims you get from amazon are for use throughout the whole year NOT 1GB per month. I.e. if you don't use any data for 10 months you still have 12GB to use in the last 2. They're a 3 sim so I'm assuming that you can get them elsewhere on the net - I only quote amazon due to the peace of mind.

[iancorben]

I don't know how much data the car itself might use but the 12GB sims you get from amazon are for use throughout the whole year NOT 1GB per month. I.e. if you don't use any data for 10 months you still have 12GB to use in the last 2. They're a 3 sim so I'm assuming that you can get them elsewhere on the net - I only quote amazon due to the peace of mind.

I learn so much on here! Anyway I bought one of these 3 sims this afternoon, but I bought the 3GB 3 month one ahead of my new A6 next week. I prefer to buy from Amazon rather than Market Place sellers certainly for the first one and at £15 for 3 months can't really go wrong. Amazon wanted £75 for the 12 GB version.

Anyway I was looking on the Audi Connect www page - am I allowed to post a link?? - here it is anyway

Audi connect services > Audi Worldwide (http://www.audi.com/com/brand/en/models/infotainment_and_communication/audi_connect_services.html#source=http://www.audi.com/com/brand/en/models/infotainment_and_communication/audi_connect_services/faq_audi_connect.html&container=layerModal)

This has lots of questions and answers.

Specifically to the question asked in message 25 above - the amount of data can be obtained, and perhaps someone would be kind enough to have a look? If not I will see when I get my car on Monday.

On the link above under the section Audi Connect Connection Settings the question is asked about how to see how much data is used - it explains how to check data usage.